The Honest Truth
by blk0912
Summary: A different take on the conversation between Rachel and Quinn in the Michael episode. Faberry friendship, with a Klaine and St. Berry Ending. Now with a 2nd chapter featuring more Jesse.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This was sort of insprired by something Northstar said in the A/N of the latest chapter of her story _Someone to Love You_ about how Rachel seemed like a shadow of her former self. This is a different take on the bathroom scene with Quinn and Rachel. Faberry friendship, St. Berry and Klaine ending :)

Basically, the time line is the initial conversation takes place in January, and college starts in August. Also, Blaine is the same age as Kurt and Rachel, not a year younger. I hope you all like it, enjoy :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee. Therefore, I must have Finchel shoved down my throat at every possible opportunity. If I did own it, Finn would be non-existant, St. Berry would still be intact and Blaine wouldn't be a junior.

* * *

><p>"So what do you think I should do?"<p>

Quinn was started out of her thoughts by Rachel's voice. She suddenly remembered that she was in the bathroom talking to Rachel, who was asking her advice on whether or not to accept Finn's proposal.

"Are you seriously asking me this, Rachel?" Quinn asked finally

Rachel tucked some of her hair behind her ear and then asked, "What do you mean? I needed some advice, and you're the person most likely to give me a straight answer."

"I'll give you an answer, but I'm warning you, you won't like it, but someone needs to knock some sense into you."

When Rachel just stood there, still looking confused, Quinn sighed in frustration and then walked behind Rachel, turning her to face the mirror.

"Why am I looking in a mirror? How will this help me with my answer to Finn?" Rachel asked

"Look at yourself. I don't even know who you are anymore. Finn has turned you into this insecure little girl. Where's the Rachel Berry that saved our asses at our first Sectionals competition? If it hadn't been for you, we would have lost that day. I know a lot of people; yourself included I have a feeling, think that Finn as the real hero that day. He may have given us our second song, but I know you could have come up with a better one had we given you the chance."

"I don't understand," Rachel continued as Quinn held her firmly in place, "Finn has been very supportive. He understands me. He's the one, I know he is."

"Will you listen to yourself? Finn has reduced your self-confidence to almost nothing. You think you'd be nothing without his support, that you wouldn't have accomplished half of the things you did without him. The Rachel Berry from two years ago didn't need anyone to tell her she could accomplish great things. She just _knew_ it. If you stay with Finn, he's going to somehow convince you that giving up your New York dream is a good idea, that staying in Lima while he runs Burt's shop is what you really want. You'll be Rachel Hudson, wife of Finn Hudson. You won't be Rachel Berry, Broadway star. Is that what you want, Rachel?"

"Finn said he'd come to New York with me."

"And do what exactly? Be your support? Hold your hand before every audition? Don't you want to be able to hang out with your cast mates, make new friends, explore a new city without someone weighing you down?"

"Just because independence is your choice doesn't mean it's for everyone."

Having heard enough, Quinn turned Rachel around and literally shook her.

"Wake up, Rachel! Finn will _never_ leave Lima. He's _comfortable_ here. Leaving here would mean too many unknowns for him. He'd be a nobody, and you and I both know he doesn't handle that status well. So he found out some pretty bad stuff about his dad, he'll live, he'll get over it. It doesn't mean he should try to hang onto you by proposing to you. If you don't let him go, you're going to regret it. Maybe not now, maybe not next year, but at some point you _will_ regret it. You're going to look back on your life and wonder how the hell you got yourself into this mess. Do you want that?"

"No." Rachel said quietly

"What do _you_ want Rachel?"

"I want to go to New York, but I also want a chance to be in a relationship where someone loves me for me and who supports me in my dreams." Rachel answered

"Finn isn't that guy. He may claim that he loves you, but he wouldn't know love if it hit him in the head. Sure, he loves his Mom, and he may even love Burt and Kurt, but the kind of love you're talking about? He'll _never_ be capable of feeling that. He doesn't feel things in the same passionate way that you do. Or at least the passionate way that you _used_ to feel them."

"I'm not the same person I was two years ago! You aren't either!" Rachel said, getting tired of Quinn yelling at her

"I never said you had to be!" Quinn snapped, "I'm just saying that you're a shadow of the person you used to be. I don't even recognize you anymore. I think it's great that you think you've matured, and you probably have, but being mature doesn't mean giving up on who you are. You learn from your mistakes, and if they knock you on your ass, you get right back up and try again. You taught me that, at least the old you did. You wanted an honest, straight answer. Dump Finn. Get on the first flight out of here with Kurt and Blaine. Go be the Broadway star we both know you want to be. Take time to concentrate on yourself. Finn is not the guy for you. He's not _the one_. He's not the soul mate you so badly want him to be."

"Like Finn would leave me alone if I said that's what I wanted." Rachel muttered after a couple minutes of silence

Quinn offered Rachel an almost sad smile, "I know. He's nothing if not persistent. I thought I loved Finn at one point, so I understand to some extent, but I really think you need to take some time for yourself. You got into both NYADA and Tisch. Not just anybody can do that."

Rachel nodded, watching as Quinn made her way towards the door.

"Quinn." Rachel said, walking over to the girl she wouldn't quite consider a friend, but wouldn't consider an enemy either

"Yes, Rachel?" Quinn asked, readjusting her bag on her shoulder

The action caused Rachel to flashback to a scene in the hallway by her locker, with Jesse and Finn, shortly after Jesse had transferred for her.

_Jesse_

Rachel thought it before she could help herself, shocked by it. She had tried to forget the boy she at one point thought was the love of her life.

"Rachel? Did you need something else? We need to get going to Glee club rehearsal." Quinn said, waving a hand in front of Rachel's face

"Sorry," Rachel said with a shake of her head, "I just wanted to say thank you. I appreciate the honesty."

"Anytime. Who knows, maybe we'll even keep in touch after we leave this place." Quinn answered with a small smile

"Maybe." Rachel said to herself, following the former head Cheerio out into the hallway

* * *

><p><em><strong>Eight months later…<strong>_

"Rachel, stop _fidgeting_!" Kurt exclaimed, taking his best friend's hands in his as they stopped in their walk to the first class of their college careers

"I'm nervous! Give me a break!" Rachel said in frustration, looking to Blaine for help

"I think you look very pretty, Rachel." Blaine said with a smile

"See? I told you!" Kurt said

"The skirt isn't too short? My hair looks okay?" Rachel asked

Kurt sighed. He'd heard these same questions all of yesterday, and again this morning before they left their apartment.

"I told you, letting the bangs grow back out was a good idea, and the skirt is classic Rachel Berry. Now stop or we'll be late for class, and then I won't give you your surprise." Kurt said, looping his arm through Rachel's and beginning to walk again, Blaine falling into step beside them, a bemused smile on his face

"Why can't I have my surprise before class starts?" Rachel asked

"Because your surprise has class until 2." Blaine answered from the other side of Kurt

"My surprise is a _person_?" Rachel asked

"No, it's a dog." Kurt said sarcastically, "Really, Rachel. I thought we were working on the whole obvious question thing."

"You know this is going to bother me all day, I won't be able to concentrate."

"Good thing we have all of the same classes, at the same times, so Blaine and I will be there to help you concentrate. Besides, it's the first day, it's mostly introducing yourself and getting told that college is _not_ like high school."

Rachel sighed, realizing she wasn't getting an answer out of either boy.

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, after finding the on-campus coffee house, Rachel was sitting with Kurt and Blaine, and was about to get up to order another soy latte when she saw one be put on the table in front of her and was almost overwhelmed by the mixture of smells that could only belong to one person. She looked up into the blue eyes of the boy she wasn't sure she'd ever seen again.<p>

"Jesse." Rachel said, unable to say anything else

"Surprise." Kurt said from across the table, smile firmly in place

"Jesse," Rachel tried again, "What are you doing here?"

"I transferred last year. I want to be on Broadway, so New York is the place to be. UCLA wasn't a good fit." Jesse answered, taking the seat next to Rachel

"Did Kurt call you?"

"Yes, but Quinn called first actually. She said something about an intervention and that if you weren't in New York by the end of the summer; I was to come get you myself. Which I would have, regardless of whether you were single or not."

"She beat me to it." Kurt put in from the other side of the table

"I don't understand." Rachel said, turning her head to look at Kurt and then Jesse

"Seriously Rachel? What did we talk about in regards to obvious things?"

"What he means is that I want another chance to get to know you." Jesse answered

"You already know who I am."

"I did at one point. I'm not going to lie to you, Rach, what happened last year hurt. A lot. But we've both hurt each other, we were young and stupid. Now we're both in New York, away from rival show choirs, away from a jealous, insecure ex who wouldn't let you go. I know you dumped Hudson months ago, that you took Quinn's advice, and took some time for yourself. That light is back in your eyes, it wasn't there when I came back your junior year. Best of all, you aren't wearing that god-forsaken _leash_ anymore."

"What if I said that the girl you knew two years ago is basically just a younger version of the person I am now? That I don't want to be friends?" Rachel asked, voice serious but eyes dancing

"I'd ask you out on a date." Jesse answered

"What are you waiting for then, St. James?"

Jesse grinned at her and then asked, "How's Friday night?"

Rachel turned in her seat to wrap her arms around Jesse's neck and grin back at him, "Perfect."

None of the four people at the table that day were at all surprised at the fact that when Rachel leaned over to kiss his cheek, Jesse turned his head and caught her lips with his, or when after recovering from the surprise, Rachel returned the kiss.

The newly reunited couple didn't notice when Kurt took a picture of them, or when he quickly sent the picture to their former classmate, and one of Kurt's co-conspirators, a girl who was currently getting her own fresh start in New Haven, with the caption _St. Berry is back_.

"Okay, love birds, you two can create your own little world later. I propose a toast." Kurt said, effectively getting the attention of both Rachel and Jesse

"It's coffee Kurt, not champagne." Rachel said

"I don't care. Coffee will work." Kurt answered

"What's the toast?" Blaine asked

"To the Klaine and St. Berry, together in New York City, where we all belong."

"Ooh, I like that one." Rachel said, picking up the coffee Jesse had set in front of her

Jesse chuckled, wrapping an arm around Rachel's chair and lifting his coffee cup to meet the ones of Kurt, Blaine, and Rachel already in the air.

"So, what do you think of Tisch?" Jesse asked, looking at Rachel but directing the question to Kurt and Blaine as well

As Kurt and Blaine took turns talking with Jesse, Rachel smiled to herself, silently reminding herself to call and thank Quinn later. If she hadn't given her the push she didn't know she needed, she may not be here with Kurt and Blaine right now. Most of all, she might not have Jesse back in her life. However sudden their reuniting may seem, she was quite certain that it was supposed to happen exactly how it did. Jesse had promised her epic romance, and she had no doubt he'd make good on that promise. She wasn't sure what the future held, but for now, though, she was perfectly content to sit in a coffee shop, her two best friends across from her, and the boy who loved her for exactly who she was sitting next to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** So after watching the abomination that was _The Spanish Teacher_, I decided to take Kurt's talk with Finn and re-do it. I think he had the wrong idea, but in no way do I see Finn as being a star. I dislike Finn with a passion, and I _hate_ Finchel with a passion, so I have to disagree with the way RIB decided to portray Kurt and Finn's brotherly chat. I debated between making this a new story or adding it to the other one. I hadn't anticipated a second chapter, but I felt that it fit better here than as a story of it's own. This one involved more with Jesse's POV, but the ending is basically the same as the previous chapter and the timeline is the same. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee. If I did, Finn would have gone away a long time ago, and Finchel would cease to exist.

* * *

><p>Kurt walked into the weight room of McKinley High on a mission. After Rachel's admission about her and Finn's engagement the night before, he wanted to kill Finn. Not literally, as he wasn't into that kind of violence, but clearly the boy needed some sense talked into that all too thick skull of his. After making a quick stop in Ms. Pillsbury's office for some information on colleges still taking applications, he had made his way to the locker room, where he knew he would be able to find Finn.<p>

"Hey man," Finn greeted, "You want to lift some?"

"No thanks, not my thing. I came here to talk to you." Kurt answered, walking over to play with the weights on another piece of exercise equipment that was nearby

"Sure. What's up?"

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try and regain the patience he was already quickly losing before addressing his step-brother again.

"What makes you think getting married at this point in your life is a good idea?"

"I can't believe she told you." Finn said angrily, setting his weights down and getting up off of the bench he had been sitting on

"I can't believe you didn't. We're supposed to be _brothers_, Finn. That means we're supposed to be able to tell each other things."

"I just didn't want to put you in an awkward spot with Burt."

"Seriously, Finn, stop with all the excuses. You forget that Rachel is my _best friend_. As much as I love the girl, and would love for her to be my sister someday, that's never going to happen. She also told me that she said no, which in turn made you angry, and just gave her all the more reason to decide to take the same advice Ms. Pillsbury gave Sam and Mercedes, and not talk to you for a week."

"She'll talk to me. It's Rachel, she can't help it."

Frustrated, Kurt tossed the brochures he had previously been holding onto a bench near where Finn was standing.

"Trying to talk to you is like talking to a wall! You didn't leave her alone in New York like she asked, and you wound up costing us Nationals, if not the win than at least a higher place than 10th and even that was the judges being generous. You need to leave her alone, Finn, for the entire week. This isn't something you can just brush off like her request again. Even if she does decide to be with you, what does that say for your future? You're just going to brush off every request she has that doesn't fit with what _you_ want? Stop being selfish and grow up, Finn. Yes, dreams to come true for some and for others they get crushed, but you know what? That's life. You can't be captain of the football team forever and it's about time you learned that. So you didn't get the football scholarship to the _one_ school you bothered to apply to. Even if you can't get in for the fall semester, there are a lot of schools still taking applications for the spring semester."

"Rachel only applied to NYADA." Finn started, seemingly ignoring almost everything Kurt had just said

"See that just shows how much you pay attention. Yes, NYADA is her _first choice_ school, but she applied to both Tisch and Julliard as well. Even if she can't go for musical theater, she can still improve her singing by studying voice at Julliard and try again next semester or next year if she wants to. Do you honestly think her dads would let her apply to only one school? Just because you don't talk to your mother anymore doesn't mean that everyone else is the same."

"Rachel is the _only _good thing I have going for me right now."

"I don't even know why I'm talking to you right now. You don't listen to a word anyone has to say unless you agree with that opinion. I care about you a lot Finn, so I'm going to tell you the truth, even though I know you don't want to hear it. You _are not_ the guy for Rachel. No matter what you do or say, you're never going to be that guy. _You_ are the reason she isn't with that guy right now. If she should be considering getting engaged to anyone it's him. He has dreams of his own, which he's currently pursuing in New York. Like it or not, Rachel, Blaine, and I are going to New York after graduation even if I have to call Jesse and have him physically put her on that plane."

"Don't say his name around me! Rachel chose me, not him!" Finn practically yelled

"You'd never ask for my opinion, the only opinion that matters to you is your own, so I'm just going to give to you. Jesse St. James is a better mach for Rachel in _every_ way. For them, music is their _life_. They live and breathe not only music but musical theater. I know you really like, and maybe even love, music, but it's not your life. You'll never understand what it means to Rachel, no matter how hard you try." Kurt shot back, raising his voice so he could be heard above Finn

"But I could try." Finn insisted

Kurt threw his hands up in the air.

"Finn, seriously, this is getting ridiculous. You know what else _Jesse_ and _Rachel_ have in common? They're both overly dramatic and they both grave the spotlight like it's their life force. Yes, Jesse can be downright mean and insulting, but when it comes to Rachel, it's like he's a different person. He becomes sweet and caring, devoted. You're the same no matter who you're with. You tried to control Quinn, both times you dated, and you're trying to control Rachel. Rachel isn't the girl for you. I honestly don't think you've met her yet, but I do think she's out there waiting for you."

"So you're saying Rachel's going to break up with me? I'll just go talk to Rachel right now, get this settled here and now." Finn said, making his way towards the doorway

"Not so fast, frankenteen." Came another voice from behind Kurt

Kurt turned to see Santana, Quinn, and Puck standing behind him, effectively blocking the doorway.

"Come on, man," Finn said to Puck, "You know what she means to me. You're the one that encouraged me to go for Rachel in New York."

"That's because last I heard, Berry still wanted you. Turns out I was wrong. Sorry, dude." Puck said with a shrug of his shoulders

"I already spoke to Rachel, so don't bother trying to talk to her. Take Kurt's advice and move on, find your own dreams, don't drag Rachel down with you." Quinn added

"I know it's _muy difícil_ for your little brain to understand complicated directions so let me break it down for you," Santana stated as she walked towards Finn, pushing him back to sit on a nearby bench, "You _cannot_ talk to Rachel for a _week_. Seven days. _No se habla_. No talking. Got it?"

"But…" Finn started again, starting to get up off of the bench

Santana pushed him back down, taking him by surprise.

"No talking. This isn't just some show choir competition that you can use for your own selfish agenda, this is Rachel's _life_. Her _future_. She needs to make an _informed_ decision. She's currently under the impression that she can't live without you, but she's wrong and she's going to see that. St. James, on the other hand, is free to talk to her_ as much as he wants_, since it's only you that she needs to stay away from. So you need to sit down, shut up, and back off. One of us will come get you when you can talk to Rachel again, and if you even _think_ about disobeying us, I _will_ go all Lima Heights Adjacent on your ass."

Finn looked at the four other people in the room, people he had once considered his friends, one of whom he'd even considered his best friend, and scowled.

"She's going to choose me." He said before he turned around and went back to lifting weights

"No, she's not." Kurt said, his voice making the statement sound more like a promise than a simple sentence

* * *

><p>"You need to make an emergency trip to Lima."<p>

Jesse took his cell phone away from his ear and shook his head before he brought the phone back to his ear and spoke.

"Quinn? Why are _you_ calling me? Kurt I would have expected, but not you."

"It's about Rachel."

Jesse ran a hand through his hair before he asked, "What about Rachel?"

"She's about to make the biggest mistake of her life. Finn proposed."

"He _what?_"

"You heard me so don't pretend that you didn't. She hasn't told him her answer yet, we are making her take a week to herself, no contact with Finn."

"Right. Because that worked so well the first time she tried it."

"It's not all boys, it's just Finn. Besides, she, Santana, and I have come to an understanding. Even Puck is in on this. It was Kurt's idea; he overheard Mercedes talking about Ms. Pillsbury saying that she and Sam should go a week without being in contact with one another and thought it would be a good idea for Rachel and Finn too."

"I appreciate the effort, Quinn, but I'm done being the second choice. The only person who makes me not feel like a soulless automaton is Rachel, and if she wants to be with Finn, that's her choice. She's plenty old enough to be able to think for herself."

"So you haven't talked to her because of _Finn?_ Since when do you let another person stand in the way of something you want?"

"When that something is a person with feelings and a mind of her own. They both made it perfectly clear that they aren't over each other, no matter how much I want them to be. If Rachel wants to be with me, she needs to get over Finn and break that fucking _leash_ he has her on."

"Kurt said he and Blaine are going to make sure Rachel is on that plane to New York after graduation. Does she even know that you stayed in New York?"

"No and I'd prefer it to stay that way. The Rachel that I fell in love with would do everything in her power to get to accomplish her dreams, to get to New York. That's not the Rachel I saw when I came back last year. I don't know how he did it, but Hudson's got a hold on Rachel that he's not going to willingly let go of until he's good and ready."

"I told her that Finn isn't the guy for her. I told her last year too, but she wouldn't listen. Finn wouldn't let her listen. This time, she will listen, even if I have to arrange Finn's kidnapping myself."

"Well have fun with your plan, Quinn, and let me know how it turns out. I'm not coming back to Lima unless Rachel herself asks me to. I, however, have rehearsal and homework to get to." Jesse said, effectively ending the conversation.

Quinn looked at the phone she was now holding in her hand.

"He hung up on me." She said to the other two occupants of the room, Santana and Puck

"What did you expect? He may be an obnoxious ass sometimes, but he's far from stupid." Santana said, making a show of filing her nails

Quinn rolled her eyes and then said, "You think I don't know that? I'm just trying to do whatever I can to make Rachel see that _Finn_ isn't the soul mate she so clearly thinks he is."

"You tried that last year, and you failed, so that's why you have us." Santana added, motioning to herself and Puck

"Don't you have an opinion about all of this?" Quinn asked Puck

"Sure. St. James is right. Rachel needs to be _Rachel_ again before she'll realize what she's missing." Puck answered

* * *

><p><em><strong>Eight Months Later…<strong>_

"We're in the final stage of operation: St. Berry. We just need you to complete it."

Once again, Jesse found himself having to shake his head to make sure he heard the person on the other end of the line clearly.

"What are you talking about, Kurt? Last I heard, Rachel wanted time for herself." He asked

"She did, and she got that. She doesn't realize it yet, but she's ready for a real relationship again. She belongs with _you_, Jesse. That's clear to anyone who's spent any amount of time with you two and whose head isn't as thick as a brick wall."

Jesse had to chuckle at Kurt's description of Finn. He knew from firsthand experience that Finn wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy the occasional put down of his former rival for Rachel's attention.

"Okay, I'll play along, what do you need me to do?"

"What time to you have class until on Monday?"

"2. Why?"

"Because you are going to meet Rachel, Blaine, and I in the coffee shop on campus with a soy vanilla latte for one Miss Rachel Berry. I'm sure you can handle it from there." Kurt said matter-of-factly

"Okay, if I agree to this plan of yours, what happens if Rachel doesn't _want_ to see me?" Jesse asked, playing along

"I have it on good authority that she does, so you don't have to worry about it."

"I hope you mean Rachel herself."

"Sort of." Kurt said hesitantly

"What do you mean _sort of_?" Jesse asked suspiciously

"She talks in her sleep when she gets anxious about something. I couldn't understand most of it, but I did specifically hear _New York_ and _Jesse_ in the same sentence. Blaine decided to use the direct approach and asked her if she wanted to see you once we got to New York."

"I'm going to assume she said she did, otherwise you wouldn't have called me."

"She said that she wasn't going to look for you because she wasn't sure _you_ wanted to see _her_, but that if you happened to run into each other, she wouldn't run away."

"Well that's comforting."

"Do you want her or not, St. James?" Kurt asked, getting almost as exasperated talking to Jesse as he did with Finn

"Of course I do. I'll _always_ want her."

"Then be at McKenna's at 2:30 on Monday with a vanilla soy latte."

Jesse sighed and ran a hand through his hair before he spoke again.  
>"Fine, but if this backfires somehow, I'm blaming you."<p>

"What happens if it doesn't?"

"It's going to work, just trust me."

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this, but fine, I'll trust you."

"Good. See you Monday."

Jesse shook his head again as he hung up the phone, sliding it back into his pocket. While he was hoping that Kurt was right, and that the plan that he and Rachel's other friends had come up with was going to work, he also knew that Rachel was the one girl he'd never be able to get over and that if she broke his heart again, he'd never be the same.

* * *

><p>Walking into the coffee shop, Jesse immediately spotted Rachel sitting with Kurt and Blaine at a table towards the back. After ordering Rachel's favorite drink, a vanilla soy latte, he took a deep breath and made his way over to the table.<p>

"Jesse." Rachel said, obviously surprised to see him.

"Surprise." Kurt said from across the table, smile firmly in place

"Jesse," Rachel tried again, seeming to find her voice this time, "What are you doing here?"

"I transferred last year. I want to be on Broadway, so New York is the place to be. UCLA wasn't a good fit." Jesse explained before deciding to try his luck some more and took the empty seat next to Rachel and fighting back a smile when she immediately fired a question directly at him

"Did Kurt call you?"

"Yes, but Quinn called first actually. She said something about having a plan and that I needed to make an emergency trip to Lima."

"She beat me to it." Kurt put in from the other side of the table

"I don't understand." Rachel said, turning her head to look at Kurt and then Jesse

"Seriously Rachel? What did we talk about in regards to obvious things?"

"What he means is that I want another chance to get to know you." Jesse said, effectively getting Rachel's attention again

"You already know who I am." Rachel said, confused, and Jesse had a flashback to seeing that exact same expression on her face when he'd introduced himself as _Jesse_ instead of Jesse St. James

"I did at one point. I'm not going to lie to you, Rach, what happened last year hurt. A lot. But we've both hurt each other, we were young and stupid. Now we're both in New York, away from rival show choirs, away from a jealous, insecure ex who wouldn't let you go. I know you dumped Hudson months ago, that you took Quinn's advice, and took some time for yourself. That light is back in your eyes, it wasn't there when I came back your junior year. Best of all, you aren't wearing that god-forsaken _leash_ anymore."

"What if I said that the girl you knew two years ago is basically just a younger version of the person I am now? That I don't want to be friends?" Rachel asked, voice serious but eyes dancing

"I'd ask you out on a date." Jesse answered

"What are you waiting for then, St. James?"

Jesse grinned at her and then asked, "How's Friday night?"

Rachel turned in her seat to wrap her arms around Jesse's neck and grin back at him, "Perfect."

Neither Kurt nor Blaine were at all surprised at the fact that when Rachel leaned over to kiss his cheek, Jesse turned his head and caught her lips with his, or when after recovering from the surprise, Rachel returned the kiss.

The newly reunited couple didn't notice when Kurt took a picture of them, or when he quickly sent the picture to their former classmate, and one of Kurt's co-conspirators, a girl who was currently getting her own fresh start in New Haven, with the caption _St. Berry is back_.

"Okay, love birds, you two can create your own little world later. I propose a toast." Kurt said, effectively getting the attention of both Rachel and Jesse

"It's coffee Kurt, not champagne." Rachel said, reluctantly turning her attention away from Jesse and to Kurt

"I don't care. Coffee will work." Kurt answered; smile still firmly on his face

"What's the toast?" Blaine asked, also smiling

"To the Klaine and St. Berry, together in New York City, where we all belong."

"Ooh, I like that one." Rachel said, picking up the coffee Jesse had set in front of her

Jesse chuckled, wrapping an arm around Rachel's chair and lifting his coffee cup to meet the ones of Kurt, Blaine, and Rachel already in the air.

"So, what do you think of Tisch?" Jesse asked, looking at Rachel but directing the question to Kurt and Blaine as well

As he listened to Kurt, Blaine, and Rachel answer his question, Jesse couldn't help but silently thank the two boys currently sitting across from him, as well as Rachel's two other friends who had made the trip to New York with her and the girl who was building a new life for herself in New Haven. Without them, he may not have his arm around his soul mate, the girl to whom he had promised epic romance. He was going to make good on that promise. He wasn't exactly sure how yet, or even what the future itself held, but for right now, he was going to enjoy sitting in a coffee shop with the girl he knew without a doubt loved him for exactly who he was and with her best friends, the ones who had helped them along on their path to being reunited.

* * *

><p>Spanish translations:<p>

_Muy_ difícil: very difficult__

__No se habla: no__ _talking_


End file.
